~M~
Common Names: Marjoram, Pot Marjoram, Sweet Marjoram
Latin Name: Origanum majorana
Parts Used: Leaves, stalks, and flowers
Cultivation: Marjoram is a tender perennial. In the North it is usually grown as an annual.
Arcane Uses: Place marjoram plants around your house to protect it. Use it in love spells, and mix with violets to ward off colds.
Medicinal Uses: Try marjoram tea for headaches. Use its antiseptic properties in a gargle to treat mouth ulcers, or to aiid in the treatment of external wounds. It is a diaphoretic which can be used in the treatment of colds and flu. Rub marjoram oil into muscle aches and sprains.
Common Names: Mint
Latin Name: Mentha
Parts Used: Leaves and flowers
Cultivation: A perennial, mint likes rich, moist, well-drianed soil in full sun to partial shade. When planted outdoors as part of a herb garden, mint should be put in the ground in a container, as it is extremely invasive.
Arcane Uses: Mint is a versatile healing plant. Use it in healing spells and incenses; stuff sachets with mint leaves to ward off disease. Mint also attracts wealth; carry a few leaves in your coin purse for this purpose.
Medicinal Uses: Peppermint is an excellent digestive aid (thus why you get mints at many restaurants after dinner). It is specific for use in treatment of morning sickness and motion sickness. Use it as an inhalant to treat stuffy noses and congestion. It helps relieve the discomfort of painful periods.
Common Names: Mistletoe, Golden Bough, Herb de la Croix
Latin Name: Viscum album (European Mistletoe), Phoradendron serotinum
Parts Used: Whole plant
Cultivation: Mistletoe is generally not cultivated. Look for it growing wild in the woods.
Arcane Uses: Mistletoe was revered by the Druids, especially when it was found growing on an oak. Cut it on Midsummer's Day using a golden sickle and don't let it touch the ground. Mistletoe is a potent protective herb, offering protection against almost every misfortune from lightening to disease to having your children stolen by faeries. Kiss your lover under the mistletoe to keep him or her in love with you. Place some mistletoe beneath your pillow to ensure beautiful dreams, or carry some with you if you are trying to conceive.
Medicinal Uses: It acts to slow the heartbeat and can be used in cases of tachycardia. It reduces blood pressure and artheriosclerosis, and helps relieve headaches caused by high blood pressure.
Common Names: Mullein, Aaron's Rod, Clot, Doffel, Feltwort
Latin Name: Verbascum thapus
Parts Used: Leaves, flowers
Cultivation: Mullein grows wild; it will grow in just about any soil in sun to part shade. It is a hardy biennial which reseeds readily.
Arcane Uses: Use a mullein pillow to guard against nightmares. Carry some as a charm for courage, especially when faced with wild animals. Use powdered mullein leaves as a substitute for graveyard dust in spells.
Medicinal Uses: Use a mullein extract in olive oil to treat inflamed skin. It is specific for bronchitis with a hard, sore cough.
Common Names: Mustard
Latin Name: Brassica
Parts Used: Leaves and seeds
Cultivation: Mustard is a hardy annual, growing readily just about anywhere. It reseeds quite happily.
Arcane Uses: Sprinkle mustard seed on your doorstep to protect your home, or carry some in a red cloth bag to keep you from getting a cold.
Medicinal Uses: Used externally, mustard stimulates the circulation and relieves inflammation. Mustard plasters are a time-honored remedy for chest congestion. Taken internally, mustard stimulates the appetite and aids digestion. Large doses can cause vomiting.
Common Names: Myrrh
Latin Name: Commiphora myrrha
Parts Used: Resin
Cultivation: Myrrh is a small desert tree that grows only in a small are of the Middle East where a certain type of basaltic soil is found.
Arcane Uses: Myrrh was used in ritual in ancient Egypt. Myrrh is a purifyng incense, usually burned with frankincense, and it increases the power of any incense it is burned with. Use it to aid meditation and healing.
Medicinal Uses: Myrrh is specific for infections of the mouth and gums, as well as sinusitis and sore throats. Externally it is useful in the healing of wounds.
~N~
Common Names: Nasturtium
Latin Name: Tropaelum majus
Parts Used: Whole plant
Cultivation: Nasturtiums are tender perennials native to southern continents. In the North they are grown as annuals, in moist, well-drained soil in full sun.
Medicinal Uses: Nasturtiums are a potent anti-microbial agent. They are useful intreating respiratory infections such as bronchitis, as well as viral infections such as influenza and the common cold. Use it fresh as a poultice for external infections.
Common Names: Nettle, Stinging Nettle
Latin Name: Urtica dioica
Parts Used: Flowers, leaves, and shoots
Cultivation: Nettles grow wild and will happily sprout anywhere you don't weed.
Arcane Uses: Nettles remove curses and protect from evil. Use in purification baths - cook first!
Medicinal Uses: Nettles are an excellent tonic for strengthening the entire system. They are astringent and may be used to stop bleeding such as nosebleeds or excessive uterine bleeding. And nettles are specific for the treatment of eczema, especially childhood eczema.
Cautions: Harvest nettles wearing gloves; they cause a painful stinging which can linger for days!
Common Names: Nutmeg
Latin Name: Myristca fragrans
Parts Used: Seeds
Cultivation: Nutmeg is a tropical evergreen tree growing in the Spice Islands.
Arcane Uses: Make a good luck charm by stringing together whole nutmeg, star anise, and tonka beans. Add ground nutmeg or nutmeg essential oil to prosperity mixtures.
~O~
Common Names: Orris, Florentine Iris, Queen Elizabeth Root
Latin Name: Iris x germanica var. florentina
Parts Used: Rhizome
Cultivation: Iris grow from a rhizome that should be planted above the soil level. They prefer well-drained soil with plenty of sun.
Arcane Uses: Use in love spells and sachets. Carry the root, or sprinkle your house and body with orris root powder to attract love.
